The present invention relates generally to spray dispensers and, more specifically, to an improved hand held spray dispenser of pharmaceuticals.
The dispensing of pharmaceuticals into a body cavity, for example, a nostril, has generally included a squeeze bottle having a nozzle which is inserted into the nostril cavity. The amount of fluid dispensed with each squeeze of the bottle is dependent on how the person squeezes it. Thus, one cannot be assured of reproducably accurate delivery. Since dosage consistency is important in treating a medical condition, a pump which meters the drug amount is needed. A typical example of prior art metering pumps are U.S. Pat. No. 2,434,875 to Turnbul et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,698 to Franz; U.S. Pat. No. 3,949,939 to Brown and United Kingdom patent specification No. 1,517,642 to Syntex.
In each of the above devices, which are merely examples, the metering pump reciprocates along an axis coincident with the nozzle dispensing axis to pump metered portions of liquid from the container through the nozzle. The forces applied by the user are along the axis of pumping and dispensing. The user grasps the dispenser between his thumb and the remainder of his fingers and contracts. Generally what happens is that the nozzle is removed from the target area during dispensing by the force and action required to operate the pump. This is both inconvenient and undesirable since the product does not reach the intended site and often splashes the face.
Other types of atomizers or manual metered spray pumps have applied the force along the axis of reciprocation of the pump and dispense liquid along an axis transverse to the pumping actions. These generally include a deflector or other device at the output of the pump to redirect the fluid. Typical examples are U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,138 to Phillips; U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,222 to Boris; U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,425 to Bennett; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,442 to Hafele et al. Even though these patents specifically show the axis upon which the manual force is applied as being traversed to the axis of dispensing, the force is applied along the axis of the pump.
Another alternative is to use a trigger mechanism which receives a manual force transverse to the pumping axis and to dispense the fluid through a nozzle which is transverse to the dispensing axis. This is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,548 to Beard. The trigger and adapter are positioned on the top of the dispensing bottle and manually actuate the pump by pivoting about a hinge point. As discussed in Beard, this method minimizes the lateral component of the saddle member on the pushbutton of the pump. Although the trigger mechanism of Beard may be an improvement over the prior art, it is clumsy and is generally not acceptable for use in small dose applicators of pharmaceuticals, for example, nasal sprays. Since the trigger extends substantially away from the body, the dispenser can be accidentally actuated if carried in the user's purse or pocket. Thus, this configuration is not practical for a pharmaceutical which must be available to the user several times a day.